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Remodeling in Pittsburgh, PA

Fewer leads on purpose, and $436k in kitchens and baths.

A kitchen and bath remodeler who doesn’t want volume. About 11 leads a month from her posts in neighborhood groups, and they close at nearly three times the rate of her paid leads.

Kitchen and bath remodeler, 8 staff. Told by Nora, owner.

Illustration of a contractor hanging a kitchen cabinet while a couple reviews plans on the new island
Leads from the groups
106
over 12 months
Leads a month, once running
10.7
Cost per lead
$113
was $210 from ads
Close rate
10%
11 jobs closed
Closed revenue
$436k
$11,964 spent
Return on spend
36x
revenue ÷ fees

The business

Nora runs two carpentry crews and a designer. Kitchens and primary baths in older homes, many of them with plaster walls and knob-and-tube wiring behind them.

In business
15 years
Average ticket
$38,500
Tracked
Jun 2025 to May 2026
Service area
Mt. Lebanon, Cranberry, Fox Chapel, Bethel Park and Shadyside

Before

Most Houzz leads were still collecting ideas. Her designer spent whole days on consultations with people who were two years away from a project.

Where leads came from
Houzz Pro
Google Ads
Referrals from a local cabinet showroom
Houzz Pro and Google Ads
$4,200 a month
Typical cost per lead
$210

What we did

We got Nora into 151 local groups and posted about 9 times a week across them: tips, offers and finished jobs, with every comment and message answered the same day. A few of the groups:

  • Mt. Lebanon Neighbors
  • Cranberry Township Community
  • Bethel Park Moms
  • Shadyside & East End Neighbors

What worked for remodeling

  • Before-and-after kitchens, with the homeowners’ permission, posted in the group for their own neighborhood with a consultation form in the comments.
  • Straight posts on “what does a kitchen really cost here?” with real ranges, which got saved and shared.
  • Posts about what turns up behind the walls in pre-1940 homes: plaster, old wiring, out-of-level floors.

Results

Leads per month from group threads, Jun 2025 to May 2026

Jun: 1 leadJul: 3 leadsAug: 6 leadsSep: 8 leadsOct: 10 leadsNov: 9 leadsDec: 12 leadsJan: 11 leadsFeb: 10 leadsMar: 13 leads13Apr: 12 leadsMay: 11 leads11JunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJun: 1 leadJul: 3 leadsAug: 6 leadsSep: 8 leadsOct: 10 leadsNov: 9 leadsDec: 12 leadsJan: 11 leadsFeb: 10 leadsMar: 13 leads13Apr: 12 leadsMay: 11 leads11JunAugOctDecFebApr
Leads per month, remodeling in Pittsburgh, PA
MonthLeads
Jun1
Jul3
Aug6
Sep8
Oct10
Nov9
Dec12
Jan11
Feb10
Mar13
Apr12
May11

Remodeling leads build slowly and stay small. Month-to-month changes mostly follow the season: fewer calls around the holidays, more in early spring.

Houzz Pro and Google Ads compared with the groups: 46% less per lead
MeasureBeforeWith the groups
Monthly spend$4,200$997
Cost per lead$210$113
Leads that became jobs4%10%
Cost per closed job$5,250$1,088

Along the way

  1. Month 2

    First consultation from a kitchen-cost post in Mt. Lebanon Neighbors.

  2. Month 5

    First signed kitchen from the groups, $46,000.

  3. Month 8

    Dropped Houzz Pro.

“Fifty leads would bury us. Ten good ones a month keeps both crews busy, and these people show up to the first meeting with a budget. Most of them have already studied two or three of our kitchens in their own neighborhood.”

NoraOwner, remodeling in Pittsburgh, PA

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